1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to servicing lawn sprinkler heads. More specifically, a coupling piece permits remote servicing of lawn sprinkler heads with a conventional garden hose.
2. Background Information
Lawn sprinkler systems for watering lawns include a system of pipes to which lawn sprinkler heads are attached. Lawn sprinkler heads conventionally have a pop-up perforated nozzle through which water issues from the system of pipes to sprinkle a lawn. When not used, a spring acts to maintain the nozzle of the head flush with the surface of the lawn. As pressurized water is fed through the system, the pressure of the water works against the spring to "pop" the nozzle of the head up and over the surface of the lawn.
Frequently, the perforations of sprinkler heads become obstructed with debris and restrict the flow of water to the lawn. Moreover, the debris frequently obstructs the vertical path of the nozzle so as to prevent the nozzle from deploying. An inoperative lawn sprinkler head, in turn, prevents the lawn sprinkler system from spraying the lawn in the localized area of the obstructed sprinkler head.
Historically, consumers have attempted to service an inoperative lawn sprinkler head as the head remains attached to the lawn sprinkler system. Two persons are required to fix an installed sprinkler head since one person must be stationed remotely at the water control device and the other stationed locally at the sprinkler head. Servicing an inoperative lawn sprinkler head as the head remains attached to the lawn sprinkler system is inconvenient since the obstruction of the sprinkler head generally is hard to reach and sometimes inaccessible. Moreover, coordination between two persons makes the conventional process an undesirably involved process.
Alternatively, consumers have attempted to service an inoperative lawn sprinkler head simply by removing and replacing the inoperative sprinkler head with a new sprinkler head. The problem with this solution is that it is expensive. Thus, there is a need for a convenient and less expensive method and apparatus that may be used to clean and service sprinkler heads remote from the sprinkler system.